Applicant Eligibility Requirements

All medical residents/fellows appointed to the resident staff of the University of Rochester Medical Center, including post-residency fellows, must hold a MD or DO degree (or the recognized equivalent). In addition, they must be graduates of schools approved by the LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education) or the AOA (American Osteopathic Association) or, in the case of international schools, approved for listing by the World Health Organization or equivalent accrediting bodies and possess a valid ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) certificate or have a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a US licensing jurisdiction in which they are training. All International Medical Graduates must also meet the New York State “12 Week Rule” outlined below. Graduates of medical schools outside the US who have completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by an LCME-accredited medical school are also eligible for appointment. Dental residents must hold a DDS or DMD degree from a school approved by the CODA (Commission on Dental Accreditation) or if graduates of foreign dental schools, must satisfy New York State licensure requirements for a limited permit to practice dentistry.

All medical trainees must meet the minimum eligibility criteria as described by current ACGME requirements. The University will not support the appointment of a medical trainee who will not meet criteria for ABMS or AOA board certification in the specialty or subspecialty he/she is training in upon program completion (if board certification is available).

The University of Rochester will sponsor only J1 Visas for medical training positions. Dental residents can complete their training on a TN visa, H1B visa or under the F1 practical training allowance (maximum one year).

All applicants must remain eligible or complete any eligibility requirements prior to their start date at the University of Rochester. If an applicant cannot do so, his/her NRMP Match or other appointment offer may be voided.

Each program must have a set of written standards, appropriate to the specialty, to guide trainee selection. No trainee will be asked to sign a non-competition guarantee.

For each program, the selection of trainees is the responsibility of a committee of the faculty which has the opportunity to review application materials, rate residents against the published selection standards such as preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials (including the medical school attended), communication skills, and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity, and agree as a group on those residents to be selected either through the NRMP Match or otherwise. Such decisions should ordinarily not be those of an individual program leader. Programs must not discriminate with regard to sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, disability, or any other applicable legally protected status.

All University of Rochester Programs will follow the NRMP “All In” policy as described below.

For the Main Residency Match, the All In Policy applies to positions for which the NRMP offers matching services.

All PGY-1 positions as well as all PGY-2 positions in specialties accredited to begin at either the PGY-1 or PGY-2 level regardless of whether the program begins in the PGY-1 or PGY-2 year.

PGY-2 positions that are reserved for applicants eligible to begin advanced training in the year of the Main Residency Match.

PGY-3 positions in Child Neurology.

For fellowships implementing the All In Policy, see the NRMP website at www.nrmp.org.

For exceptions to the All In Policy, see the NRMP website at www.nrmp.org.

When programs do not fill through the Match, residents may subsequently be appointed to unfilled positions from the pool of unmatched students, or other sources, as long as they meet institutional standards.

New York State 12 Week Rule for Eligibility of International Medical Graduates

International Medical Graduates must have successfully completed at least 60 credit hours of pre-professional college plus 130 weeks of medical school with passing grades.

The school must be recognized by the country where it is located, and listed on The World Health Organization of Medical Schools.

Per New York State Health Law, International Medical Graduates may not complete more than 12 of their 130 weeks of required medical education curriculum outside of the country where their medical school is located.

If students exceed this approved number of weeks of coursework/rotations outside of the country, they are not eligible to train in a New York State residency program. They also will not be eligible for a New York State medical license after completing training.

The following international medical schools have gone through a pre-approval process and their medical students can do any amount of training outside their country. Thus, these schools are the exception to the 12-week rule. These schools are also listed on the NYS Office of Professions website found here: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/med/medlic.htm.

American University of Antigua, Antigua (June 2006)

American University of the Caribbean, Cupecoy, St. Martin (March 2003)

The Autonomous University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico (March 2000)

Policy on Appointment and Reappointment

To be appointed to a training position at the University of Rochester Medical Center, all trainees are required to complete any and all eligibility requirements assigned to them prior to their start date at the University of Rochester Medical Center. If applicants fail to do so, or willfully misrepresent themselves, their NRMP Match or other offer of appointment may be rescinded. Trainees will receive an attestation for signature that they have read and understand this requirement in their onboarding/appointment package.

All contracts are one year in length, and each resident must be reappointed for each subsequent year of training, contingent upon satisfactory completion of the current post-graduate year. The University will honor the full term of the contract letter except when a resident’s performance justifies termination. Contracts are delivered and signed electronically by the trainee, program director, and Senior Associate Dean for GME.

Recommendations for the appointment and reappointment of residents should be initiated by departments and programs and sent to the Office for Graduate Medical Education.

A resident whose performance has failed to meet the level of competence for reappointment to a subsequent year shall be notified by his/her department in writing. Specific guidelines for decisions on termination or non-reappointment are found in the Disciplinary Procedures and Appeals Policy.

Residents are expected to notify their department sufficiently in advance (preferably by May 1) if they do not intend to return the following year.

Appointment and/or reappointment do not constitute an assurance of successful completion of a residency program or post-graduate year. Successful completion is based on performance as measured by individual departmental standards.